The relationship between Covenant University and the global professional accounting body, the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants (ACCA), is primed to yield great dividends for faculty and staff of the University, according to disclosures by the body.
The Country Head, ACCA, Mr Thomas Isibor, had during a recent visit to the University's Management, said the ACCA was working at evolving a support scheme for interested members of the University towards achieving their overall professional and career objectives under the sponsorship of the ACCA. Through its certification programme, he said the ACCA would support faculty by sponsoring five lecturers for the global accounting body's training. According to him, the exercise would enhance the lecturers' capacity in new teaching pedagogy of accounting-related subjects.
He added that the new relationship with Covenant would give students of the University that complete their ACCA certification during their studentship an opportunity to go for international graduate programmes with partner institutions.
Mr Isibor said the accounting body would be ready to work with the University in driving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to quality education, poverty alleviation, and sustainable environment.
While congratulating the Vice-Chancellor on his appointment to steer the University's ship at this time in history, Mr Isibor requested that the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both institutions be revisited to ensure that it was of maximum benefit to both institutions.
Mr Isibor noted that the existing relationship between both organizations, dating back to 2014, had a multidisciplinary approach cutting across Departments and University-wide in practice. He hoped that the postponed conference on the future of education scheduled to hold in Covenant on the platform of ACCA funding would still be held as the topic and themes were germane and consistently relevant.
In his remark, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abiodun H. Adebayo, said Covenant University was at a phase where she was intentional about the kind of partnership and collaboration she embraced. But, according to him, while the University was open to alliances, it would only happen with credible partners with proven industry records of accomplishment.
Professor Adebayo assured the ACCA of the readiness of the current management of the University to revisit the existing MoU and work to make the most of it for the benefit of both institutions. He commended ACCA for the symbiotic relationship it was trying to evolve, promising that Covenant was committed to reciprocating the same level of commitment.
He advised the leadership of the ACCA to consider the possibility of endowing an academic chair in any field of interest they so desired, thereby planting their feet firmly in the University.
Present at the meeting were the Registrar, Dr Oluwasegun Omidiora; Director, Financial Services, Pastor Babatunde Onatola; Dean, College of Management and Social Sciences, Professor Uwalomwa Uwuigbe; and the Head, Department of Accounting, Professor Francis Iyoha.